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Friz Freleng's 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is a sequel to Bugs' first Western battle with Yosemite Sam in 'Hare Trigger'. Cautiously breaking Sam in as a character by opting for another Wild West setting, Freleng was also risking just retreading old ground. Fortunately, 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is a magnificent cartoon in all respects. Extremely handsome to look at, it also benefits enormously from one of the great scripts by Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese. Shoot-outs, horse chases, dance routines and a hilarious card game are all crammed into this very fast paced short. Notable amongst the many great gags is the scene in which Bugs and Sam persistently one up each other with bigger and bigger guns which may well have inspired Chuck Jones to take this gag to the next step two years later in the famous scene from 'Rabbit of Seville'. For all those people who accuse Friz Freleng of being a boring director, 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is ample retort. Packed with incident and perfectly timed jokes, it not only proved that Yosemite Sam worked as a character but also ensured that his rivalry with Bugs would become a constant.

When Yosemite Sam, the roughest, toughest he-man ever to cross the Rio Grande - and he ain't namby-pamby - scares everyone out of an Old West town, Bugs Bunny stays and proceeds to play all sorts of tricks on Sam. Once again, Friz Freleng directed a hilarious, irreverent jab at the ordered world (whether it was Friz Freleng or Chuck Jones directing, they always did a great job; not to mention Mel Blanc's voices). I will say that when Sam said "cut the cards", I knew what was going to happen before Bugs did it, but other than that, everything's a real surprise. "Bugs Bunny Rides Again" is one cartoon that will truly live on forever. Because remember, this town is big enough not only for the two of us, but also for Gary Cooper.

It is the wild wild west and bullets are flying. Yosemite Sam arrives in town and squares off against Bugs Bunny. This is fine Bugs Bunny. Bugs elevates everything and makes this better. I would still make a few changes. When Sam orders him to dance, I want Bugs to put on a dress and twirl Sam around. The line thing is funny, but it needs to end with Bugs walking on air and Sam unable to. Of course, the card game needs to be poker and Bugs needs to push all in. In that, he needs to put everything and the literal kitchen sink on top of the table. As for the ending, it is great although I figured on Hollywood instead of Miami.

Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

The setting is the roughest town in the West where Yosemite Sam will shoot whoever tries to stand in his way of anything. Then Bugs comes to town and the two start their battle. This is yet another winning short to feature Bugs and Sam and this just gives further proof that the two, when working together, were one of the greatest comedy duos out there. There's one great joke after another but my favorite sequence comes at the very end when the two sit down to play cards to determine who leaves town. How the card game ends and everything that follows is just priceless. Another winning sequence happens early on when the two start walking towards one another getting ready to shoot.

When Yosemite Sam comes into town, his reputation comes before him and the majority of the town run in fear of their lives. However Bugs Bunny stands his ground in a saloon stand off which spills out into the street to decide who stays in the town and who goes.

Another of the Bugs cartoons that sets itself in the old west opposite Sam to good effect – and this is easily one of the best cartoons that I've seen with them. The animation is full and looks great, the characters are detailed and the backgrounds aren't just coloured blotches in the rear of the shot! The plot is a good western spoof (Bugs even says `just like Gary Cooper' at one point') and is pretty funny for most of the time.

Bugs is on top form and Sam is pretty sharp. The two work well together and Sam is a good partner for Bugs. The material is pretty clever but still has good physical slapstick too boot. Overall this is a really good Bugs Bunny cartoon with plenty of laughs and a real sense of quality in everything from the animation, the characters and material.